04/28/2026
Very well said! 💙
Red Barn Heritage Homestead had a post yesterday about the cost of producing a dozen eggs that got me to do the math on my own eggs and really think about mine vs grocery store eggs.
I get about 2 dozen sellable eggs a day from my flock on average throughout the year. This varies but that’s a fair average.
I go through 2 - 40 pound bags of feed a week at $13/bag. That’s $3.71/day, $1.86/dozen.
My coop cost over $1000 but we’ll use that. Say it lasts 5 years. That’s $200/yr, $.55/day, $.27/dozen.
Each of my hens had to be hatched and raised about 5 months before they start laying. On the low end it’s about $25 to buy or hatch them and feed them to point of lay. Say they lay 600 eggs over their life with me that’s $.04/egg, $0.48/dozen.
We are now at $2.61 per dozen and I haven’t paid myself anything.
If I pay myself $15/hr, spend 15 minutes a day on chicken chores plus an hour a month for cleaning and maintenance (again, this is a low estimate), that’s 8.5 hours or $127.50/month, $4.25/day, $2.12/dozen.
Now we are up to $4.73/dozen. And I haven’t included equipment, owning and maintaining the land, gas to get feed/supplies/hatching eggs or birds, the well that waters them, electricity, propane, etc. I sell my eggs for $4/dozen.
Why are they so much cheaper at the store? Volume is part of it. Government subsidies are a big part of it including the heavily subsidized corn and soy they feed. And prioritizing output over the well being of the animals and the quality of the product. There’s a reason grocery store eggs don’t look like mine.
Anyway, just food for thought. If someone is selling you homegrown eggs for cheaper, just know it’s a gift. Support your local farmers or there won’t be any left. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading and let me know where you get eggs and what you pay.
